Stood Up
by pupparoux
Summary: Lily Evans is cold, she is going to get wet, and she's been stood up by James Potter. Some crazy guy on a motorbike is trying to pick her up to bringher somewhere and a monsterous storm of epic proportions is heading her way...today is just not Lily Evan'


**Disclaimer: It is I, Pupparoux. Sadly nothing new to report on the whole "owning harry potter" front. It's still not me. but read and enjoy anyway!**

"Well, this sucks…" thought Lily Evans as she sat, alone, at a small café table in the heart of London. "I cannot believe he stood me up!" She grabbed her bag and left the restaurant.

Potter was going to get an earful the next time she saw him and, most likely, a hearty smack, if not across the face then certainly in the arm.

She couldn't believe that he stood her up. Seven years of chasing her, Lily Evans, and he, James Potter, didn't show up to their first date.

Lily began the two and a half mile walk back to her flat, alone and on an empty stomach. She hugged her coat tighter around herself and continued walking. The wind sending a cruel chill down her back.

That would teach her to say 'yes' just to shut someone up. She really thought he'd changed. James had finally, finally asked her politely to accompany him for breakfast and now…she was walking home alone…after not being met. Lily bet it was all his idea of a sick, ironic joke. It would be just like him and right in tone with his pranking ways.

She continued to walk, speeding up as she heard thunder rumble in the distance.

_Fan-freaking-tastic, _Lily thought, as she looked skyward. It began to drizzle lightly. The light raindrops landed on Lily's pale face and glistened there on her cheeks and nestled in her eyelashes.

Her long red hair blew into her large green eyes, blinding her. She tucked it back behind her ears and snuggled deeper into her coat. She couldn't risk dissapperating home, there were too many muggles around and the alleyways were not any place she wanted to been in.

_It's not _that_ bad,_ she told herself. _It could be worse…_

The wind picked up, blowing against her from every conceivable angle. It was so strong, that Lily stood in place, walking nowhere for a moment. The drizzle was mixed with a few bigger and colder drops now. Lily pushed onwards, determined to get home before the storm hit.

She shuddered as another clap of thunder sounded above her head and she decided to make a run for it. Lily went to the curb to cross and a gleaming red and black motorcycle pulled up and screeched to a halt in front of her, next to the curb.

Heads turned to look at the motorcycle and the rider who had stopped before the shocked redheaded girl. Then they continued on their way, not wanting to linger and risk getting wet.

The man on the bike was wearing jeans, a dark leather motorcycle jacket, boots and a jet black, sleek helmet, the tinted visor down over his eyes and face. He was holding a spare helmet under his arm.

Lily simply looked at him for a moment, there was something familiar about him…she dismissed it and then moved to the right to cross the street.

The man walked the bike forward, blocking her way. Thunder rumbled again, louder this time and accompanied by a flash of lightening. Lily looked at the person on the bike. He patted the back of it, indicating that he wanted her to get on

"Would you mind moving? I'm not in the mood for getting hit on by random strangers! I've just had a really bad date, now I'm cold and getting wet, and I need to get home! It's going to pour! SO MOVE!"

The man shook his head and said, in a muffled voice (since he didn't take off his helmet or lift his visor to speak), "Lily! Get on! I'll take you-" thunder crashed, drowning out his words. "OK!"

She knew that voice, who was it?

"Fine! Thanks!" she took the helmet he handed her and put it on. The she climbed on the back of his bike, gripping his shoulders.

"Around the waist, Lils!" he called to her. "We have to move!"

Lily moved her arms warily to his waist. Just as she did, he took off and one-eighty-ed around in the street and took off down the street, away from Lily's flat. Where was he taking her?

Lily didn't have time to ponder because she had a death-grip around her driver's waist and her eyes were clamped shut. Thunder rumbled again and the street actually shook beneath them.

Lily hazarded the opening of her eyes. They were zipping in and out of traffic, weaving between cars and busses at top speed as though the legions of Death Eaters were after them. Lily looked over her shoulder; just to make sure that that wasn't the case.

It wasn't, but what she did see was black. A massive expanse of low, dark clouds were moving ever closer. The wind was howling, even through her helmet, and she could see the wall. A wall of rain that was coming straight down, vertically, in sheets and headed straight for them.

Lily squeezed the boy in front of her tighter. He glanced over his shoulder and spotted the barrage of water as well. His head turned back to the front as he revved the engine and they sped even faster down the busy lane, twisting down side streets, narrowly avoiding cars, pedestrians and other small animals, such as dogs.

Up the High Street and over a bridge, Lily gripped her driver throughout the entire thrilling (and terrifying) ride. The motorcycle turned off the main road and whipped up a smaller dirt path.

"Where are we going?" shrieked Lily.

"Short cut!" the man shouted back to her over the wind and engine.

They emerged back onto the main road, narrowly avoiding a double-decker bus and came to a halt, just outside an apartment building.

"This isn't my apartment!" yelled Lily as she took off her helmet and got off the bike, looking up, alternately, at the apartment and the mass of water drawing ever closer.

The driver got off his bike and took off his helmet. As he shook his shaggy head he turned to look at Lily, his grey eyes flashing.

"No, it's mine and James'. I came to get you. James is sick, Lily! That's why he didn't meet you. He didn't stand you up or anything. He sent me," here Sirius stuck out his chest, "to tell you that he was really, really, REALLY sorry he couldn't make it."

Lily crossed her arms over her chest. "He could have owled me…"

Sirius shrugged. "He could have…except he only just woke up about," Sirius looked at the big black watch on his left wrist. "Fifteen minutes ago. In truth he wanted me to owl you…but I figured I'd do him one better. So I hopped on my bike, raced like hell to tell you he was ill and then whisk you back here."

"So James doesn't know you got me?"

"Nope." Sirius smiled pleasantly. "Shall I escort you inside?" he opened the front door of the flat.

The deluge of water was inches away.

"So you just drove at breakneck speed to bring me here? I was terrified!"

"I know! For a moment there, you were squeezing me so tight, I thought you were trying to make my waist smaller or something!" he let out a bark of laughter. "Besides, you know you enjoyed it," said Sirius confidently, shaking his shaggy head a rakish gleam in his eye.

"I didn't!" Lily exclaimed as she thrust the helmet into Sirius' stomach. He let out "oof" but caught it.

"It's the fifth floor, third apartment on the left, number 13," Sirius called in his deep voice after Lily. "The door should be unlocked. Just go in." He let the door close behind her once he had seen she'd found the stairs. Then he threw on his helmet, jumped on his _Firebolt Roadster_ and raced the rain down the street.

Lily went up to the door and knocked tentatively, just to make her presence know and then went in. "Hello?" she called. "Potter? James…it's Lily," she called as she went into the small hallway, took of her coat and handed it to the coat rack, which took it and hung it up.

Lily could hear the telly on in the next room. She walked through the kitchen, which was full of unwashed pots, pans, and plates; down a hall that had open doors to the bedrooms (the beds unmade and clothes strewn about the floor), and then finally into the living room.

Lying on his back on the couch, one arm over his eyes, his hair as disheveled as every, was James Potter. Lily walked tentatively over to the pale boy and knelt beside him, clicking off the television as she did so.

She touched his forehead; he really did have a fever. "James?" she asked in a soft voice, like a mother would speak to a sick child, her heart melting.

Thunder crashed, lightning flashed and the rain pounded the windows as though trying to force entry.

"James?"

James shifted and groaned, then he removed his arm from his eyes and looked at Lily. He didn't look surprised and then he smiled. "Lily! You're here, looking after me and actually looking concerned! I knew you couldn't resist the pull of my manly charms!"

Lily simply stared at James' smug and flushed face.

But then a frown crossed James' otherwise jubilant expression. " OH NO! I didn't make it to our date today! Lily," he said slowly, his eyes glassy from the fever. "I'm really sorry. You're here to castrate me, aren't you?"

Lily shook her head no.

"Are you here to see how I am? To look after me?"  
Lily nodded yes, her red hair dancing on her shoulders.

"Now I know I'm really sick! You're a hallucination aren't you? A beautiful figment of my imagination, sent here in the height of my sickness to wreak havoc on my senses…" James' eyes roamed over Lily's form as he wondered what he could possibly do about his Lily-hallucination. Lily resisted the urge to giggle.

"Ah well, I suppose I'll just take what hallucinations of you I can get and now I'm rambling. I hope Sirius isn't home, he'll never let me live down talking to thin air. Hallucination Lily, is Sirius home…" James seemed to ponder something for a minute and his brow furrowed. "You're not really Sirius are you? 'Cause that would be overly embarrassing. I mean, my mistaking him for you, if it really is you…" and he continued to rave on.

Lily just watched James, a smile on her pretty face. She was glad Sirius had come to get her, given her a breakneck, hellish ride on the back of his motorbike all to bring her to his best friend who was sick and in need. There was nowhere she would rather be on a rainy day, she realized, than with James Potter. Even if it was a sick James Potter.

"No James," said Lily. "I'm not a hallucination nor am I really Sirius. It's Lily."

James looked stunned. "Oh," was all he said. He didn't say anything for some minutes; Lily thought that she had shocked him into silence.

"That's exactly what a Lily-hallucination would say…" and with that pronouncement, James closed his eyes and fell asleep.

Lily got up and headed back to the kitchen to make herself some tea. She shifted aside the dirty dishes with a grimace as she filled the kettle. She lit the stove and placed the water on it to boil. Once it had, she placed the tea bags (she preferred loose leaf, but couldn't find any) in the two cups she'd brought down and poured the hot water into them.

She walked back into the living room and set the tea on a side table holding a vase of long dried out roses. James stirred again just as Lily pulled an ottoman over to the couch and was sitting down.

"Well hello sleep head. How are we feeling?" asked Lily, her small hands wrapped around her warm, steaming mug of tea.

James looked at her. "You…you're still here?"

"Where would I go?"

"I though, you being a hallucination, you would vanish into the deep, dark void that is my mind."

"Well," began Lily, leaning closer to the sick boy before her. "No, I'm one hundred percent real. Lets check that temperature…" Lily moved even closer to James and pressed her lips to his forehead.

When she pulled away, James had an absolutely shocked expression on his face; his mouth was agape and his eyes wide.

"You just kissed me."

"No," said Lily calmly. "I was just checking your temperature."

James continued to stare at her.

"Ok, maybe it was a little kiss…" Lily blushed and looked at the carpet. "I, uh…" Lily began. "Made you tea."

"Thanks," said James, still in a daze. There was silence once more. "So…do I have a fever then?"

Lily looked up. "I don't remember. Would you like me to check again?"

"Please," said James. "I want to make sure I'm not getting worse."

"That would be horrible," said Lily as she placed her hands on either side of James' face and leaned closer to him, to kiss his forehead. "What," she pressed her lips to his skin. "Would," she kissed him again. "We…do?"

James' hands went to cover Lily's, but he said nothing.

"Fever is getting better," she said, her lips still resting on his forehead.

"Mmm," was his reply.

"But I think I should stay a bit longer…just to make sure."

"That's a good idea."

"I thought you'd like it."

And James pulled Lily onto the couch with him to "keep warm" and they stayed like that all day, just listening to the rain beat against the windows.

**Well, ok. There it is. Not my best by any means.**

**Kinda short and a bit dumb. It's been sitting unfinished on my computer for about 2 months now and it was making me really angry. So I thought I'd just finish it and be done with it. **

**So review please! Lemme know what you think.**

**Until next time, keep a sharp eye ;) **

**Pupparoux**


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